Chapter 80: Concerns (7)

Guild Master Lee Sunghwan hadn’t expected this.

When introducing Kang Hari to the children, he’d simply hoped to solve Gyeonwoo’s concerns and help her become a bit closer to the remaining Guild Master…

“Oh! Sister! Me too! Me too wanna do it!”

“Shall we? What’s Pureumi’s favorite color?”

“Blue like Mama’s hair!”

“Alright, let’s do blue then. How about you, Gyeonwoo?”

The children were snatched away in the blink of an eye.

They’d barely met minutes ago, yet when he came to his senses, the children were clinging to Kang Hari’s side.

Even Gyeonwoo, who’d been whimpering with worry, seemed to have relaxed.

“Me too?”

“Of course. Isn’t playing together more fun than playing alone?”

“Then… I’d like green…”

“Green? My, that’s the color of Pureumi’s eyes?”

“Hehe, yes…”

Kang Hari’s Awakened ability was magic.

Though it seemed like an unfair ability, in reality it was ambiguous, not living up to expectations in combat.

She was even considered the weakest among the three Guild Masters publicly.

Right.

That was definitely true, but.

“Alright! When I count one, two, three, wave them toward the sky together. Can you do that?”

“Yes!”

“Yeah!”

When Kang Hari handed over magic-inscribed sparkler sticks, the children’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“Now now, Gyeonwoo. How can you wave it so timidly? Haven’t you ever shaken a cola bottle?”

“W-why would you shake cola?”

“Oh my, hasn’t brother ever played with you? Let’s try shaking some with sister later. It’ll be fun.”

“But playing with food is wrong…”

“That’s true for adults. But you’re still young, so trying different experiences is more important. Come on, try shaking it hard like sister?”

Gyeonwoo seemed to have forgotten her worries, swinging her sparkler up and down as if possessed, following Kang Hari.

When Kang Hari secretly snapped her fingers…

Though incomparable to the fireworks she’d deliberately set off at yesterday’s party.

Small flower-like sparks began bursting from the children’s sticks.

Pew! Pew! Pew!

“Wooow!”

“Heehee! Tiny fireworks!”

Gyeonwoo and Pureumi burst into bright laughter.

Their pure laughter made even listeners feel happy.

“Shall we try drawing pictures by moving slowly?”

“Yes!”

But Guild Master Lee Sunghwan, now left out, watched with mixed feelings.

They’re my kids…

They don’t even notice me anymore…

“Pfft. What, feeling like your daughters were stolen?”

Kang Hari quietly approached his side.

While the children were distracted using the sky as their canvas to draw each other’s faces.

“…What are you talking about?”

Kang Hari poked Guild Master Lee Sunghwan’s protruding lip – he was clearly sulking.

“Haven’t I known you forever? Tuck in that lip if you’re trying to hide that you’re upset.”

“My face is just like this.”

“No it’s not, our brother’s lips aren’t usually this ugly?”

“Ugh, just stop laughing.”

“Why? Why should I? It’s up to me?”

“How childish.”

“Being childish is how you play well with kids.”

At Kang Hari’s soft laughter, eventually.

“Ah! Brother just smiled!”

“I did not.”

“Wow, I should have taken a picture!”

“I said I didn’t smile.”

Even the usually stoic Guild Master Lee Sunghwan unconsciously curved his lips up.

“Ha! Gyeonwoo! Brother’s lying to sister!”

“Hey. Don’t tattle to the kid…”

“Uncle! Lying is bad!”

“Yeah yeah! Is unkie a bad grown-up?”

Losing his parents, his world turning upside down.

This was the first time he’d felt this way since losing the light in his world.

“…Fine, I smiled. Happy now?”

“Brother, you know you just acted totally tsundere?”

From first meeting Gyeonwoo at the temple until now.

At such a young age, with such a delicate body.

Despite being oppressed and brainwashed by those cult lunatics, she hadn’t given up or fallen – she’d maintained her kindness and purity until the end.

Seeing Gyeonwoo made him realize his own grown-up worries were pointless.

Little by little.

Through Gyeonwoo, he could fill the emptiness he hadn’t been able to fill.

“U-uncle, are you angry?”

Gyeonwoo fidgeted, twisting her fingers nervously as he stood thinking.

“I could never be angry at you two, not even if I died.”

Guild Master Lee Sunghwan made an internal promise as he scooped up Gyeonwoo.

This child had changed his life.

So he too would make sure Gyeonwoo’s life could change, could become happy.

“Uwaaah! I-I’m not a doll…!”

“Hmm, you weigh about the same as one though.”

“That’s so mean…”

“Was it mean?”

“Hehe, no. I like uncle’s broad embrace.”

While Guild Master Lee Sunghwan played with Gyeonwoo in his arms…

“Shall Pureumi come with sister?”

“Yeah!”

Jealousy was a frightening emotion.

In a world where even blood relatives commit murder out of jealousy.

Kang Hari picked up the remaining Pureumi and approached Gyeonwoo and Guild Master Lee Sunghwan.

“Brother, we should get going. We’re past the meeting time.”

“Right. Let’s go.”

The two Guild Masters walking together looked like a happy family to any observer.

Two cute, sweet children with mom and dad.

Guild members secretly stealing glances all had the same thought.

If those two Guild Masters actually got married…

“…They’d be a real royal family, wouldn’t they?”

Not just nominal royalty like constitutional monarchs, but an imperial family that could control all of South Korea – that wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

But none who had that thought were worried.

Unlike Guild Master Jang Jin-yu, they knew Guild Master Lee Sunghwan and Guild Master Kang Hari wouldn’t selfishly abuse their power.

“But will our Guild Master accept Guild Master Kang Hari’s confession?”

“Looking at the mood, it seems different this time.”

“Right? Is it because of the kids?”

“They’re kids the Guild Master adores.”

“…I really hope the confession succeeds this time.”

“Why?”

“Well, I feel bad for Guild Master Kang Hari getting rejected all this time, and kids need a mother.”

“So it’s about the kids after all.”

“Heh. They’re good kids. You don’t have one of these, do you?”

The guild member proudly showed off a small sparrow-shaped doll.

Unsuited for someone mountain-sized to carry around.

A tiny doll about the size of his finger joint.

“Wow, how’d you get that?”

“They gave it to me as thanks for helping with their move last time.”

Within Chungseong Guild, items gifted by Gyeonwoo were already secretly considered like talismans proving one’s character and success.

“Argh! Why am I in hunting?! If I’d been a guild guide, I could have gotten one too!”

“Bwahaha, keep dreaming. Think these are given to just anyone? Only people who’ve proven their character and skill like me get them.”

Perhaps thanks to such small things building up goodwill.

Though guild members worked through the night tracking down and raiding cult headquarters for Gyeonwoo.

None of them blamed or thought badly of her.

It was a butterfly effect starting from places unknown to Gyeonwoo, thanks to her goodwill.

Just as the four opened the conference room door in their cheerful mood…

“Well well, everyone’s having fun without me.”

Whoosh-

Intense cold flowing from the room filled the corridor with thick mist.

“Brr…”

The children in Kang Hari and Guild Master Lee Sunghwan’s arms shivered from cold.

All because Guild Master Jang Jin-yu had frozen the conference room pure white.

The floor frozen solid like an ice rink.

Frost covering the windows and icicles hanging from the ceiling.

Though it looked like a terror attack, the perpetrator Jang Jin-yu seemed unbothered.

Seemingly unfazed by the cold, he sat in short sleeves with arms crossed and feet propped on the table, drawing Guild Master Lee Sunghwan’s sharp anger.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“What else? Killing time since you kept busy people waiting without showing up.”

It was far too dangerous to be a prank.

Not just Gyeonwoo and Pureumi, but normal non-Awakened guild members could have been hurt visiting.

“Jang Jin-yu. That’s rich coming from you who usually doesn’t show up without a word.”

He couldn’t laugh off potential danger to the children, even if it hadn’t actually happened.

As Guild Master Lee Sunghwan also gathered his power, the conference room’s atmosphere grew unbearably heavy.

“Um… uncle was late because of me…”

My beloved uncle might fight with his friend because of me!

As worry rose, Gyeonwoo urgently tried to speak up, but.

“Gyeonwoo, come here. Sister will keep you warm.”

“B-but…”

“Gyeonwoo did nothing wrong. He’s just acting up because he actually came early for once.”

Guild Master Lee Sunghwan wasn’t the only one angered by this situation.

Worried Gyeonwoo might get involved and brother might back down because of it, Kang Hari quickly pulled Gyeonwoo into her remaining arm.

Though usually on bad terms, Guild Master Jang Jin-yu had maintained certain boundaries in his provocations.

Whatever made him cross that line this time, there was no denying he’d threatened her future children.

“Planning to switch to a villain guild, causing trouble for innocent people?”

Guild Master Lee Sunghwan could be as ruthless as Gyeonwoo when dealing with villains.

When angry like this, not even the President could stop him.

As Gyeonwoo shifted anxiously, unable to do anything…

“Ha, villain? You’re calling me a villain?”

“Yes. What other reason would there be for causing this much trouble?”

“I knew you were an asshole but didn’t think you’d go this far.”

In the middle of their vicious argument, Jang Jin-yu pointed sharply at Gyeonwoo and shouted:

“Why’d you play without me?”

“…?”

“I saw everything through the window. Aren’t I one of the big three Guild Masters too? Huh? Didn’t I help catch and kill those cult bastards too! So why’d you leave just me out! I have lots to talk about with that weird kid too!”

His childish whining brought down a different, awkward silence.